Brace and clamp for bedsteads



(No Model.)

T. H. SHEPHERD;

BRAOB AND CLAMP FOR BBDSTEADS.

Patented Aug. 27, 1895.

WiTN ESSES R T N E V UNITED STATES PATENT @rricn.

THOMAS H. SHEPHERD, OF KELLIS STORE, MISSISSIPPI.

BRACE AND CLAMP FOR BEDSTEADS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 545,383, dated August27, 1895.

Application filed April 16, 1895- To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS H. SHEPHERD, a citizen of the United States,residing at Kellie Store, in the county of Kemper and State of fMississippi, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bracesand Clamps for Bedsteads &c.; and I do hereby declare the following tobe a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as willenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same.

My invention relates to braces and clamps for bedsteads, cradles, gates,fences, tables, and any frames having four sides which it is desired tohold rigidly together against strains, and it has for its object toproduce an effective brace which will consist of but few parts, andthose very simple in construction and operation, and the inventionconsists of the parts and combination of parts hereinafter described andclaimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan View of a bedsteadhaving my improved brace and clamp applied to the same. Fig. 2 is atransverse section through the bedstead, showing the foot portion inelevation. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the outer face of the headportion. Fig. 4 is a detail front elevation of the inner face of one ofthe side rails of the bedstead with my invention applied to the same,and Fig. 5 is a top plan view of another form of clamp.

A in the drawings represents a bedstead of ordinary construction, havingside rails a a and head and foot portions 0. 0. respectively, and Frepresents a clamp. Screw-eyes B B, preferably four in number, aresecured on the inner face of the respective side rails, as shown, andscrew-eyesO O are secured in the head and foot posts L and M,respectively, above and below the locks which secure the side rails tothe said posts. Short wires D D are secured in the eyes 0 O and areformed at their outer ends with loops (1 d, which are united together bya ring E. \Vires G are connected to the outer ends of the clamp andpassed through the end screw-eyes on the side rails and provided attheir outer ends with snaphooks H, which engage the rings E.

The clamp F consists of two outwardly-flaring bars or arms ff, which areprovided with central apertures f 2 f and at their outer ends Serial No.545,914. (N 0 model.)

with loops f f. A screw-threaded crankshaft f 5 extends through thecentral apertures f f and is provided with a suitable handle The centralaperture f 3 has a plane bore, while the bore of the aperture f isscrewthreaded. It is obvious that by revolving the handle the rods orarms will be drawn toward or moved away from each other, ac cording tothe direction in which the crankshaft is revolved, and that the wiresconnected to the arms of the clamp will be accordingly drawn taut orslackened. Wires I I are con nected to the end .loops of the clamp andthe outer ends of the wires are provided at their outer ends withsnap-hooks, which engage the intermediate screw-eyes on the side rails.Wires J J are also secured to the outer looped ends of the arm f of theclamp and are passed around a double sheave secured centrally of thewidth of the inner face of the foot-board, the wire J passing around thesheave in one direction and provided at its outer end with a snap-hook,and the wire J passing around asheave in an opposite direction, and alsoprovided at its outer end with a snap-hook. Screw-eyes K K are securedin the foot-posts M M, to which are connected short wires 75 is, saidwires being united at their outer ends by rings k It, said rings beingengaged by the snap-hooks on the ends of the wires J J. Wires N N areconnected to the outer ends of the arm f of the clamp and are passedthrough aperturesII, provided in the head-of the bed about centrally ofits width, and are passed overa double sheave n secured on the outerface of the head intermediate of the side apertures, the wire it passingaround the sheave in one direction and provided at its outer end with asnaphook, and the wire it passed around the sheave in the oppositedirection, and also provided at its outerflncoi with asnap-hook.Screw-eyes n are secur n the inner faces of the head-posts, to whi .1short wires 71. are connected, the wires being joined at their outerends by rings of, which are engaged by the snap-hooks on the ends of thewires n 01..

From the foregoing description it will be seen thatthe wiresJ J and thewires N N draw the head and foot posts toward each other laterally in aparallel direction at points above and below the fastenings which uniteIOO the side rails to the posts, and also have a tendency to draw thehead and foot boards toward each other; that the wires G draw the footboard and posts toward the head board and posts at points above andbelow the fastenings in an approximately parallel direction, and thatthe wires II draw the side rails toward each other at points along theirlength. It will be observed that by constructing the clamp in the mannerI have and providing it with an operating handle that a person cantighten the bedstead by hand without the necessity of using a wrench orother tool for operating the same, which is a very desirable feature ofmy invention. By the use of snap-hooks the wires can be veryconveniently applied to the rings when placing my device on a bedsteadand can be conveniently taken off when it is desired to remove the braceor replace a broken wire; but I do not limit my invention to the use ofsuch snap-hooks, as the ends of the wires might be passed through therings and held in place by twisting, but it would not be so convenientand desirable a construction as the snaphooks.

I have shown and described a double sheave located on the foot and headboards; but it is obvious that any suitable guiding device might beemployed. I have also described screw eyes, as they are the mostconvenient, but staples might be employed.

I have shown my invention applied to a bedstead, but, as statedheretofore, it can be conveniently applied on a gate, fence, or anyframe having four sides which it is desired to have firmly heldtogether.

In Fig. 5 I have shown another style of clamp. This clamp is in the formof a turnbuckle, and consists of a rod having a righthand screw-threadon one of its ends and a left-hand screw-thread on its other end, andtwo outwardly-flaring arms having a central passage through which therod passes. The central portion of the rod is made square, so that itcan be firmly grasped by a wrench and turned to operate the arms inwardor out ward. The square portion may also be provided with a passage inwhich a bar may be inserted for turning the same. Cords or wires areattached to the outer ends of the arm, and the sides of a rectangularframe, to which the other ends of the cords are secured, can be drawntogether by operating the red. It is obvious that this clamp, as well asthe other form of clamp shown and described, can be applied to the headboard or foot board of a bedstead as well as in the center of thebedstead.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination with a four sided frame, of a centrally arrangedadjusting clamp, two wires connected to the clamp, one of said wirespassed around a guiding device located 011 the foot board aboutcentrally of its width and attached to one of the foot posts at pointsabove and below the rail fastening; two other wires connected to theclamp, one of said Wires passed through a guiding device located on thehead board about centrally of its width and connected to one of the headposts above and below the rail fastening and the other wire passedthrough the guiding device and connected to the other head post aboveand below the rail fastening; two wires connected to the clamp andpassed through guiding devices located on the side rails and connectedto the foot posts at points above and below the rail fastening and twowires connected to the clamp and passed through guiding devices on theside rails and connected to the head posts at points above and below therail fastening; and two wires connected to the clamp and secured attheir outer ends to one ofthe side rails, and two other wires connectedto the clamp and secured 'at their ends to the other side rail,substantially as described.

I 2. The combination with a four sided frame, of a centrally arrangedadj nsting clam p, wires connected to the respective'ends of said clampand passing first to the foot and head boards and then to the cornerposts, and wires also connected to said clamp and passing first to thesides and then to the corner posts; the construction being such that theframe is bound firmly together in both lateral and longitudinaldirections, substantially as described.

3. In a bedstead clamp and brace, the combination of a centrallyarranged adjusting clamp, two wires connected to the clamp, one of saidwires-passed through a guiding device located on the foot board andconnected to one of the foot posts in a parallel lateral direction andthe other wire passed through the guiding device and secured to theother foot post in a parallel lateral direction; two wires connected tothe clamp each of which is passed through guides on the respective siderails and attached to the foot posts in a longitudinal paralleldirection; two wires connected to the clamp, one of said wires passedthrough a guiding device on the head board and connected to one of thehead posts in a lateral parallel direction, and the other wire passedthrough the guiding device and connected to the other head post in aparallel lateral direction; two wires connected to the clamp and passrespectively through guides on the side rails and are connected to thehead posts in a parallel longitudinal direction, and two sets of railsconnected to the clamp and secured at their outer ends to the siderails, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

THOS. H. SHEPHERD. lVitnesses:

Z. O. BELL, G. H. HULL.

